The Pope’s envoy makes progress in the thaw with China | The Holy See and China have not had diplomatic relations since 1951

2023-09-15 05:01:00

Italian Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, Pope Francis’ emissary for the war in Ukraine, had a meeting this Thursday in Beijing with the representative of the Chinese government for Eurasian Affairs, Li Hui. The cardinal’s visit marks progress in the thaw between the parties, which have not maintained diplomatic relations since 1951.

The meeting took place in “an open and cordial atmosphere” and focused on “the war in Ukraine and its dramatic consequences”, while addressing “the problem of food security, with the hope that it can be guaranteed soon.” the export of cereals, especially to the most vulnerable countries,” the Holy See reported in a statement. The cardinal, whose mission ends on Friday, asked to “join efforts” to find “paths that lead to peace,” the Holy See reported in a statement.

Last May, the Argentine pope established a peace mission to seek initiatives that “contribute to reducing tensions in the conflict in Ukraine” and entrusted it to Zuppi, renowned mediator and president of the Italian Episcopal Conference. In these months the cardinal traveled to Ukraine to meet with its president, Volodymyr Zelensky, and then flew to Moscow, where he was received by the president of the Russian Federation for foreign policy affairs, Yuri Ushakov, and the presidential commissioner for the Rights of the Child. in Russia, Maria Lvova-Belova. Likewise, last July the pontifical emissary went to Washington to meet with the president of the United States, Joe Biden, the second Catholic president in the history of the country.

Since the Vatican and China stopped maintaining diplomatic relations, the appointment of Catholic bishops in the Asian country was one of the main points of disagreement between both States, given that Beijing considers that their appointment from Rome is interference and the Holy See It does not admit prelates other than those designated by the Pope.

In 2018, both parties signed a historic provisional agreement on the appointment of bishops, whose renewal, also provisional and without changes, was announced on October 22, 2020 and again on October 22, 2022, extended until 2024. But this détente had its ups and downs, such as when China unilaterally appointed Joseph Shen Bin as bishop of Shanghai last April.

Since the outbreak of the war, the Asian giant, which opposes sanctions against Moscow, reiterated the importance of respecting the territorial integrity of countries, including Ukraine, and the “legitimate security concerns of all parties,” in reference to Russia.